PGA NOTEBOOK / Ryder Cup interest

Brian Murphy

Published
4:00 am PDT, Thursday, August 15, 2002

2002-08-15 04:00:00 PDT Chaska, Minn. -- Are you ready for the Ryder Cup?

Forgot about it, huh? Don't worry. A lot of fans have.

The biennial competition between teams of European and U.S. golfers was postponed last year after the events of Sept. 11 and has escaped much notice this year. Originally scheduled for the final weekend of September last year, the European PGA and PGA of America decided to make the unprecedented move of postponing the event just two weeks before it was set to begin.

With the Ryder Cup now scheduled for Sept. 27-29 at the Belfry, outside of Birmingham, England, the question is posed: Does the once-fierce competition have any buzz this year? Or, as is the common perception, did the delay take away the edge?

U.S. team captain Curtis Strange Wednesday said he was confident that after this week's PGA Championship at Hazeltine, all eyes will turn to the Ryder Cup.

"I think it's picking up right now," Strange said. "Everything is different this year because of the delay, and we knew it was going to be different."

Usually, an added factor to the PGA Championship every other year is the final phase of the two-year race to secure enough points to make the 10-man team. In Ryder Cup years, the team is finalized at the conclusion of the PGA; in addition, the team captain traditionally makes his two "captain's picks" the day after the PGA.

This year, it's sort of muted. A Ryder Cup will be played, but the teams are set from last year. That means no watching of the points race, and no speculating about which players will be picked.

"The first thing that came to mind was that there would not be the buzz for players trying to make the team," Strange said. "Who would that be? It's great writing, and it's great barroom talk. It was fun for me.

"But it's not this year, and that's fair enough. After this week, it will pick up."

THE OPEN CHAMPION: What does a British Open champion do with a claret jug? When you are beer-loving South African Ernie Els, the answer is easy -- or Big Easy.

"We've had quite a few nice drinks out of it," Els said, smiling.

What sort of drinks?

"Some really cool, cold drinks," Els said.

As for Els' mind-set since winning at Muirfield, he said he is eager to pursue a career Grand Slam, having won U.S. and British Opens. He continues to rely on the funky little Belgian mental coach, Jos Vanstiphout, to nurse a self-confidence that sometimes proves fragile.

Els admitted his mental state on the Monday and Tuesday at Muirfield was "not good," and it showed in a defeatist press conference he held on Tuesday. Then, he won the Open.

"I think I'm a different player than I was a year ago," Els said. "I think with Jos' help, getting myself more focused, and the work I've done with (swing coach) David Leadbetter . . . all of that stuff put together, I think the package is a little bit better."

QUOTABLE: Phil Mickelson, asked if he was sick of answering questions about not winning a major: "Well, there's a very simple resolution of it. If I get tired of it, I know how to fix it, and I'm trying to resolve that."